Manfred Rommel was born 24th December 1928. He is a German politician and was Mayor of Stuttgart from 1974 until 1996 and is one of the most popular local politicians of the CDU.HHe is the second of two children of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and was born in Stuttgart. He deserted the army after his father’s death by poison and surrendered to Maréchal Tassigny’s French First Army. Before becoming Mayor, he studied law and made a career as a high-ranking civil servant and state secretary to the government.

In 1996, at a celebration in the Württemberg State Theatre, Helmut Kohl delivered the highest German civil distinction to him, the Distinguished Service Cross. In his speech, Kohl emphasized the good relations that were built upon between France and Germany during Rommel’s tenure as Stuttgart’s mayor. A few days after this, a further distinction was bestowed on Manfred Rommel; the city of Stuttgart offered him the award of Honorary Citizen.